Call for Applications Joint Innovation Facility 2026
Call for Applications. We are now accepting proposals for innovation funds to support groundbreaking ideas and initiatives.
Joint Innovation Facility 2026
About the Programme
The Joint Innovation Facility is an Africa Europe funding and collaboration mechanism designed to support digitally enabled and commercially viable innovations through strong cross border partnerships. The programme supports solutions that embed climate positive impact while enabling digital transformation and market expansion between Africa and Europe. Innovation funds form a cornerstone of this effort, offering key resources to eligible projects in the region.
The 2026 call builds on the 2025 pilot phase and focuses on cross border cooperation projects that are already revenue generating and ready to scale. Supported solutions must have digital technologies such as data driven systems or artificial intelligence at the core of their product, service or business model. All projects must demonstrate climate positive impact or a clear pathway to climate change mitigation, adaptation or resilience. In fact, innovation funds are often directed towards projects showing the greatest potential for climate and digital impact.
Tracks
Open Track
AI Focus Track
Who Can Apply
Lead partners can be for profit companies, Entrepreneurship Support Organisations, or Innovation Support Organisations including innovation hubs. Many organizations are eager to access innovation funds that will help scale their technologies.
Projects must be partnerships between African and European organisations.
Eligible African Countries
Benin
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ghana
Côte d’Ivoire
Kenya
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Rwanda
Senegal
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
European partners must be based in one of the 27 European Union member states.
Programme Partners and Implementation
The facility is implemented under the Africa Europe Digital Innovation Bridge and is part of the EU Global Gateway Africa Europe Investment Package. Importantly, innovation funds provided through this initiative are designed to create scalable success stories across continents.
It is co developed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the European Union.
Implementation partners are Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and Finnish Institute of Public Management.
Application Timeline
Applications open 10 February 2026
Applications close 30 April 2026
How to Apply
Apply online at
https://jif.grantplatform.com
